A lucky football fan is heading to this weekend's FA Cup Final at Wembley after picking up two tickets which had been fired into space.

George Lamb collected the tickets after they were launched on a large meteorological balloon from Wembley's centre circle at 6am today.

The Football Association's Twitter feed provided live updates of the balloon's location using its GPS signal before it burst at a height of 18 miles (29km) and floated to the ground in Broad Oak on the Kent/East Sussex border.

Mr Lamb was the first person to reach the tickets, and is now looking forward to attending Saturday's FA Cup Final clash between Arsenal and Aston Villa.

He said: "When I woke up this morning, the idea of going to the FA Cup Final hadn't crossed my mind. This will be my first time to Wembley and I've got butterflies at the prospect of it."

Lucy Roberts-Hartley, marketing manager for the FA Cup, said: "This season's competition has truly been one to remember - on and off the pitch.

"The cup has travelled to the South Pole and on the pitch we've seen some of the most memorable matches in FA Cup history.

"Sending the final pair of tickets into space is a great way to finish the off-pitch adventure. We hope George enjoys an out-of-this-world match on Saturday."